Improvement in printing-presses



Sheets-Sheet.

R. M. HOE & S. D. TUCKER.

6Sheets-Sheet3.

R. M. HOE & S. D. TUCKER.

Printing-Press. N9. 131,217. Patented Sep.10,1872.

v6Sheets--Sheet4l R. M. HOE 8L S. D. TUCKER.

Printing-Press.` N0. 131,217, Patented Sep. 10, 1872.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EIGEAEDM. EOE, oF wEsT FARMS, AND sTEPEEN D. TUCKER, 0F NEw YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,217, dated September 10, 1872.

Specication describing certain Improvements in Printing-Machines, invented by RICH- ARD M. HOE, of West Farms, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, and STEFHEM D. TUCKER, ofthe city, county, and State of New York.

Our invention relates to printing-machines, and more particularly to that class commonly known as perfecting presses,77 in which the sheets of paper are printed on both sides in passing once through the machine. It consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts to be more fully described hereafter, which have for their object the more perfect operation of the machine in presenting the -sheets of paper t0 the printing mechanism, and conducting them away after being printed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved printing-machine. Fig. 2 is a verticall longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, showing the arrangement of the feeding-rollers and the manner in which they act to conduct and deliver the sheets of paper to the printing mechanism., Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, showing the arrangement of the iirst series of tapes for conducting the sheet from the printing mechanism to the y-frames. Fig. 5 is a similar section, showing the arrangement of the second series of tapes. Fig. 6 is a view in detail,taken from the side of the machine opposite to that shown in Fig. l, illustrating the mechanism employed to drive the feeding-rollers from the large im pression-cylinder.

General Description.

A represents the bed plate, and B G D the side frames of the machine. The frames B afford the proper supports and bearings for the inking and printing mechanismthe upper ones, C, holding the feeding and conductond side of the sheet. The printing-cylinders are inked from the fountain-rollers O O at each end of the machine by the series'of rollers 25,

26, 27, 28, represented in the enlarged view, Fig. 6. rIhe feeding mechanism is composed of the cylinders J K L Mwith their tapes, and the drop-rollers I I, each arranged to rise and fall immediately over and in contact with its feeding-cylinder. Each set of feeding-cylinders with its drop-rollers is arranged between the feeding-tables in such manner that the first or upper ones, J K, take the p aper from the tables 'I U, and the second or lower ones, L M, take the paper from the tables V W. From these tables the sheets are conveyed to the printing and impression cylinders, where they are printed, and then conducted by the arrangement of tapes and rollers, supported between the frames D, to the {1y-frames R S. The tables T U V W are secured to the side frames C, at the proper inclination, to hold the sheets to be fed, and each one has a drop-roller situated at its lower end, immediately over the cylinders, which seize the sheets and draw them down between the conducting tapes. These rollers I I are each pivoted in arms secured to a horizontal shaft extendingacross and beneath the table, and worked by alever, 33, secured by a set-screw to the end of the horizontal shaft, and each lever 33 has a roller which runs in contact with an adjustable cam, 36, upon the side of the cam-wheel 13, and is held against it by a spring. This cam-wheel has a cam on each side adjustable by means of set-screws-the one, 36, on the outer side running `in contact with the roller 34 on one of the arms 33, and through it operating the right-hand drop-roller, and the inner one, 37, op'erating the lever of the roller 35 and its droproller. Both the feedingcylinders and the printing and impression cylinders are driven from the pinion 73 on the drivin g-shaft, through the system of gearing, shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 6. The impression cylinder H, has a toothed-wheel, 1, secured upon it at one end, which gears with the driving-pinion 73, and also with the toothed wheels 8 and 42. The first one, 8, is secured upon the shaft of the second printing-cylinder G, and the other, 42,'

drives the small impression-cylinder E. The wheel 42 is also in gear with the wheel 9, secured to the rst'printin g-cylinder E, and drives it. This arrangement, of gears is shown in Fig. 4. The cylinder H is further provided with the bevel-wheel Y, Fig. 6, secured upon the side opposite to the wheel 1, which gears with the bevel-pinion 20, secured upon the up,- right shaft X, and drives it. This shaft has two bevel-wheels, 17 and 19, upon it, which drive the feeding-cylinders J K L M through the bevel-wheels 16 18 and the toothed wheel 10 11 and 14 15.

The feeding-cylinders are uniform in'their motions, and act to present the sheets to the printing mechanism in a regular and perfect manner as they are fed in succession from the feed-tables T U V W.

The second impression-cylinder H, upon which the sheet is carried and presented to the second printing-cylinder, has its circumference divided into separate impression surfaces, (see Figs. 2 and 6,) one for each of the feeding-tables employed. These surfaces are covered with blankets, and are secured to the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 6, so that as the surface of the blankets becomes soiled withv the ink from the printed side of the sheet in contact with them the blankets can be changed and a clean impression-surface substituted. The sheets of p'aper to be printed are carried to and away from the printing mechanism by the series of tapes a b c d e f g h i, shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. The series marked a passes around the cylinder J, over the roller 38, and around the roller 39; the second series, I), passes around the cylinder K, over the roller 38, and around the roller 39, and the two convey the sheets from the upper tables T U and present them to the series of tapes around the second feeding-cylinders. The third series of tapes, c, passes around the cylinder L and around the roller 40; and the fourth series, d, around the cylinder M andthe roller 41. The series a b are each composed of seven tapes placed at a suitable distance apart, and the series c d of four tapes. The remaining spaces between these four are filled by the tapes of the series e f. The rst of these, e, passes from the grooved adjustable pulley 43 over the cylinderL, andthe second, f, runsfrom the grooved pulley 44 and over the cylinder M, where the two tapes come in contact and pass together down and around roller F and the impressioncylinder H, and down to the roller 49. From the roller 49 these tapes e f run horizontally a short distance to the roller 51, which they pass around and then take a vertical direction to and in contact with the roller 53; from this point they pass upward to the rollers 61 62, where they diverge into separate paths. The first series, e, of these tapes passes from the roller 6l beneath the roller 60; thence vertically to and over the roller 59; thence horizontally to and over the roller 58; from this roller it runs down to and in contact with the pulleys 57 68 around the roller 56; thence upward and over the roller 55; over this to the roller 54; then downward to and around the roller 45, whence it runs in an inclined direction to the grooved pulley 43. The tapes of the next series, f, continue from the roller 62 a short distance horizontally to the roller 66, whence they pass down in contact with the roller 67 to and around the roller 65, upward and around the roller 64; from this point they run down to and around the roller 50; thence horizontally under the roller 48, and beneath the large cylinder H, to the roller 47 at the end of the machine and from this roller they pass upward Y Y vertically to the roller 46, and finally down in an inclined direction to the'grooved pulley 44. These two series of tapes, e f, thus form the principal conducting-tapes, and, where they pass between the feeding-cylinders L M, occupy the following position with respect to the other series, c and d: The first set or row of tapes is composed of the two ef, running in contact with each other; the second and third sets of the two e d, also in contact with each other; the fourth of the two e f,- the fth and sixth of c and d.; and the seventh and last of the two e f. The series of tapes e, in their passage over the rollers 54 55 56 57 58 59,. and down between the rollers 60 61, and around the roller 5]., also alternate with the series marked which pass from the roller 52 up to and around the roller 54, over the roller 55, down and around the roller 56; thence up and over the rollers 58 59, down and between the rollers 60 64, to the rollers 5l; and, finally, in ahorizontaldirection to and around the roller 49 to the roller 52 again. Between these tapes the sheets are carried down to the impression-cylinder F, and as they pass around this cylinder between the tapes e f they receive an impression from the printing-cylinder E, and subsequently in their passage over the impression-cylinder H they get an impression from the printing-cylinder Gr upon the other side, both sides of each sheet being printed.` The sheets, after leaving the printing mechanism, are carried between the tapes e f up to the rollers 6l 62, where, by

an arrangement of tapes and switches, they are alternately directed into dierent paths. The tapes g and h run in contact with the tapes ef after they diverge at the rollers 61 62, and they act to carry the sheets forward after they leave the tapes ef. The tapes g pass around the roller 63 horizontally a short distance in contact with the tapes j', and thence around the roller 69 to the roller 63 again; and the other series h pass from the roller 60 upward and in contact with the tapes e to and over the roller 59 beneath the tapes e; thence horizontally to the roller 58; and thence to and around Y the roller 70; and, inally, in a horizontal direction, to the roller 63 and over it to the roller 69.

`path to the point where they issue to the fly.

frames, R S, and laid by them upon two separate tables, P Q, and through the arrangement of the tapes before described and the operation ofthe switches 7l 72, two sheets are presented at the same time, one upon the other, and taken by the fly. The switches 72 act to direct the sheets into different paths, and the switches 7l operate to direct their passage to the iiyframes. As the sheets are fed in one after the other from the tables T U VW, it is necessary to make some take a longer path than the others in order to have two of them issue together at the same time from the tapes tobe taken by the ily-frames, and for this purpose the switches 72 are employed and operated as follows: The horizontal shaft Z, Fig. 1, held in bearings on the side ofthe frame, is driven by the bevel-pinion 22, secured upon it through the bevel-wheel 21 and the gears 2 3 4, the

first of which is in gear with the wheel l of the impression-cylinder H, and, by means of the cam 75, secured upon it, the lifting-rod 74 is operated to raise and lo wer the arm 77 and to give an intermittent vibratory motion to the shaftframes R S through the cams secured upon it,

the one, 29, and its lever, 3l, and the conneeting-rodiwhich operates the fly R being shown in Fig. 6. The two ily-cams are so adjusted on their shaft that the fly-frames are alternately raised and lowered when oneframe is up and the other is down. In conducting the sheets from the last printing-cylinder to the flying mechanism between the tapes they follow one immediately behind the other as they are fed from the tables, and it is necessary, as before stated, to make the first and third sheets travel a longer path than the second and fourth, in order to cause two sheets to issue simultaneously and lie one upon the other when taken by the fly-frame. As the iirst sheet, therefore, approaches the rollers 61 62 the switch 72 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 6, so that the sheet in its travel upward strikes against the curved edge of the switches 72, is directed by them between the rollers 60 6l and the tapes e h, and thus caused to travel between these tapes over the rollers 59 58, while, as the edge of the second sheet approaches the rollers 6l 62, the switch is turned back into the position shown in Fig.- 5, so that the sheet will be directed by it between the rollers 62 63, and caused to enter between the tapes f g, and be carried by them in a shorter The printed sheets as ythey leave The third and fourth sheets are acted upon by the switches 72 in the same manner, .and one caused to take a longer path than the other, and so on for the following sheets. Two printed sheets are tlius brought out on the iiy-frame by being separated in their course, after they leave the printing mechanism, into two different paths, and being brought together again, so that when they meet they will issue one upon the other. The roller 59 is held in adjustable bearings S0, secured to the side frames C, Fig. 6, and can be raised or lowered to make the path of the iirst sheet longer or shorter, as it may be necessary. The machine is provided with two separate fly-frames and reeeivin tables placed back to back, for the purpose of causing the sheets, when thrown upon the tables, to have one side exposed to View on one table and the other side in view on the other table, so that both printed sides are in sight at the same time for inspection. In deliverin g the double sheets to the iiy-fra1nes they are directed alternately to each fly by the switches Y71, which vibrate betweenqthe rollers 57 68 and issue in front of the fly S; but as the edges of the next two sheets approach the switches 71 they will be turned in the other di rection, Fig. 5', and caused to direct the sheets into the path between the rollers 66 67, so that they will issue in front of the fly R and. be laid upon the table P. The inking-cylinders 27 28 and distributing-rollers 25 26 are Y supported in the bearings N, (Fig. 1.) The first cylinder, 27, is provided with ink from the fountain-roller O in the usual manner by a touching roller, and the ink is distributed upon the cylinder and conducted by the rollers 80 to the inking-rollers 25, that ink the forms on the printing-cylinder G. VThe cylinders 27 and '28 are driven by the gears 6 and 7 (Fig. 1) in a uniform manner. This arrangement of the distributing and inking rollers in a concentric manner around the cylinders 27 and 28 and the printing-cylinder G causes the ink to be very uniformly and evenly laid on the forms, and enables the rollers to be easily and accurately adjusted as they decrease in size from wear.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. The cam-wheel B, with an independent adjustable cam on each side thereof for operatingthe drop-rollers, substantially in the manner described and speciied.

2. Flying two or more sheets of paper at one and the sameftime with the same iiy-frame, substantially in the manner described and speciied.

3. Separating two following sheets of papers, in their travel to the fly-frame, into two different paths by an arrangement of tapes and switches, and making the travel of one sheet suitably longer than the other, so that when they meet again they will issuey one upon the other to the iiy, substantially in the manner described and specified.

4. The employment and use of the adjusting`- a. i s

and iiy-frames R S7 consisting of the shaft Z',

driven by pinions 23 24., Athe cams 29 75, and connecting-rods 74 76, and levers 31 32, constructed and operating substantially in the manner described and specified.

RIGHD. M. HOE. STEPHEN D.-TUCKER.

Witnesses' to R. M. HOE:

WILLIAM GoNQUEsT, G. M. SURSEAM. Witnesses to S. D. TUCKER:

THEO. H. MEAD, J oHN E. DONIGAN. 

